Seaside Strolling
by Higuchimon
Summary: Junpei and Izumi go for a walk that features seashells, sodas, and ice cream.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Digimon Frontier  
 **Title:** Seaside Strolling  
 **Romance:** Junpei x Izumi  
 **Word Count:** chapter 1: 500||story: 500  
 **Genre:** Romance|| **Rated:** G  
 **Challenge:** Written for Pairing Diversity Boot Camp, prompt #47, sweetheart; written for 28 Days of Love, Day #11, (write about a pairing from a given list), Written for Diversity Writing, section C, #6, threeshot with all three chapters being 500 words exactly.  
 **Summary:** Junpei and Izumi go for a walk that features seashells, sodas, and ice cream.

* * *

Waves lapped up from the ocean, dancing and teasing at their feet. Izumi's laugh swirled all around as she darted into the water and back again, quick as the wind her soul reflected.

"Come on, Junpei!" She urged him on with a tug of his hands. "I bet you can't keep up with me!"

"Of course I can!" Junpei sniffed at the very idea, grinning, even while his entire body thrilled to the touch of her fingers on his. Sixteen years old and he still reacted the same way as he had when he was twelve when it came to her.

Well, not always the _exact_ same way, but the moments where Izumi touched him were always so gentle and so rare that he treasured each and every one of them.

He chased after her now, but she remained ahead of him, darting around some of the other people enjoying a summer's afternoon stroll at the beach. Some of those gave them annoyed looks, but neither Junpei nor Izumi cared. They were having fun and that mattered more right now.

"I'm so glad we came down here," she said, slowing her pace enough so he could catch up to her. "This is a really good day."

"I know." Junpei counted any day as good that he could spend with his friends. Izumi just made it a better day by being Izumi.

Something caught his eye and he bent down quickly to scoop up the seashell, looking it over. "Hey, Izumi!" He offered it out to her with a smile. "You want it?"

She picked it out of his hand and turned it over, peering at it curiously. "It's pretty! Thanks!"

Oh, it was indeed pretty. He wondered if she'd seen what he did in it, that the lines on it put him in mind of the way the wind flowed. There was little about the wind that didn't remind him of Izumi, and for very good reasons. But if she hadn't seen it, then he wasn't going to point it out. He wanted to be subtle. Or at least to try to be.

He strolled along a little more with her, more than satisfied that she'd at least accepted the seashell. He would've kept it if she hadn't, just to remind him of this lovely afternoon.

He didn't think he would forget, though. He could remember almost every time he and Izumi spent time alone together. The particulars might fade away, but the sheer joy that he experienced from hanging out with her never changed.

"You know, this is _really_ pretty," Izumi said, staring down at the seashell. "I wonder if I could get it made into a necklace." She tilted it, then flipped it over, blinked, and grinned. "Did you see this?"

When he shook his head, she held it up closer to him. "It's got a lightning bolt on it!" There it was, on the underside he hadn't looked at, as clear as day.

Wind and Thunder, together.

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Digimon Frontier  
 **Title:** Seaside Strolling  
 **Romance:** Junpei x Izumi  
 **Word Count:** chapter 2: 500||story: 1,000  
 **Genre:** Romance|| **Rated:** G  
 **Challenge:** Written for Pairing Diversity Boot Camp, prompt #47, sweetheart; written for 28 Days of Love, Day #11, (write about a pairing from a given list), Written for Diversity Writing, section C, #6, threeshot with all three chapters being 500 words exactly.  
 **Summary:** Junpei and Izumi go for a walk that features seashells, sodas, and ice cream.

* * *

Izumi turned the shell over a few more times, admiring the way that the light gleamed off of it before she put it away in her purse, not wanting to lose track of it. It was far too pretty to just lose, especially since she really _did_ want to get it made into a necklace.

With a bit more of a lazy tilt to her stride, she started walking again, Junpei keeping up with her. She thought she noticed a glow in his expression as they moved along, one that he often wore when they were together. The more she got to know him – and it was amazing how much she had never gotten to know him sooner – the more she liked knowing him, and liked being around him. He made her feel good in a way very few people ever had.

The more she thought on it, the more she liked making him feel good as well. The way his eyes lit up at a kind word, the happiness that filled him whenever she suggested they spend some time together…

Sometimes she wondered a bit that she could make one person so very happy. But the more time that passed, the more the things that he did affected her the same way. He always knew what she liked to drink, and while he didn't order for her, he knew what to suggest that she might like as well. He knew when to call her when she was feeling bad and when to leave her alone as well.

 _He knows a lot about me._ That only made her feel safer, in all honesty. It wasn't something she'd been very used to when she'd first returned from Italy all those years ago. People just hadn't wanted to get to know her, and she hadn't wanted to get to know them. But then the Digital World happened, and without even being aware of it, she'd ended up with _friends_. Friends who cared about her no matter what she did or didn't do.

"Hey, want to get something to drink?" Junpei asked, gesturing to a row of machines not that far away. "I think I've got enough for both of us."

Izumi's eyes lit up. "That sounds great!" As much as she enjoyed a pleasant walk on the beach, it _was_ summer and it _was_ hot, and she really did need something to drink. Ocean water wasn't good for that at all.

There was something else she thought she wanted, and she scanned down the rest of the beach as far as she could see until she thought she spied it.

"What about some ice cream? I could really go for some right now."

Junpei looked over and bit his lip even as he handed her bottle of soda over. "I think this is the last of my money." She hated the way that he sounded, so disappointed. She made up her mind in a single moment.

"Don't worry. This one's on me."

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Digimon Frontier  
 **Title:** Seaside Strolling  
 **Romance:** Junpei x Izumi  
 **Word Count:** chapter 3: 500||story: 1,500  
 **Genre:** Romance|| **Rated:** G  
 **Challenge:** Written for Pairing Diversity Boot Camp, prompt #47, sweetheart; written for 28 Days of Love, Day #11, (write about a pairing from a given list), Written for Diversity Writing, section C, #6, threeshot with all three chapters being 500 words exactly.  
 **Summary:** Junpei and Izumi go for a walk that features seashells, sodas, and ice cream.

* * *

 _Izumi is buying me ice cream._ It wasn't at all the first time any of them had bought something for someone else. It wasn't even the first time Izumi had bought something for him. But it still made him tingle all over and his heart, already softened just by being out with her on this beautiful day, melted and slid down out of his chest to rest in a comfortable pile at her feet.

Metaphorically speaking, of course. The reality would've been quite messy and possibly required medical involvement.

He focused his mind on where they were going so he wouldn't take the chance of stumbling over sand. As much as he disliked it, whenever he hung around Izumi too long, he had a tendency to forget where he was putting his feet and this resulted more than once in falling right over them. Not at all the way he wanted to present himself around her.

"What flavor do you want?" Izumi asked as they approachced the ice cream stand. "I think I want some green bean."

Junpei squinted at the flavors offered; this guy didn't have some of the varieties that he'd seen other places offer, but there were still some of the usual ones. He hadn't tried them all and some of them just weren't to his taste – he'd never liked eel, for one thing – but since Izumi was paying for this, he also didn't want to get anything that might stress her finances too much.

"Green bean sounds good to me," he agreed. He wasn't lying; it wasn't his favorite, but it was good and refreshing. What else could one want from ice cream?

Ice cream in hand, the two of them wandered further down the beach. Junpei split his attention three ways, where his feet were going, his ice cream, and watching Izumi from the corner of one eye. Doing so wasn't easy, but he'd had a lot of practice.

"This has been a fun day," Izumi said, settling on a sand dune and gesturing him to join her. "We should do this more often. Hanging out. Just the two of us."

Junpei covered a small squeak by taking a drink of his soda. "I'd love that."

She glanced at him, a warm light strong in her eyes. He knew that he was putty in her hands. If she wanted him to take the moon and stars from the sky, then he would've done it without hesitation. "So when are you free again?"

"Next weekend?" He blurted it out without thinking. He would have to rearrange a few minor appointments, but none of that mattered when it came to spending time with Izumi.

She nodded at his suggestion. "All right. It's a date, then."

 _Date_?

"Junpei? Are you all right? You look a little pale."

He swallowed. "No. I'm fine." _I have a date with Izumi..._ He wanted to scream with joy. Instead he worked on finishing his ice cream. Today was a very good day.

 **The End**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the story. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.

 **Note 2:** Yes, they really do have eel ice cream in Japan.


End file.
